Local aircraft designer and manufacturer Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC, 漢翔航空工業) on Tuesday signed an agreement with Martin-Baker Aircraft Co to purchase ejection seat systems.
The British firm’s ejection seats are to be used in AIDC’s advanced jet trainer (AJT) that it is building for the air force, the company said.
AIDC chairman Anson Liao (廖榮鑫), who led a delegation to London to ink the accord, said in a statement that the agreement was a milestone for Taiwan’s national defense supply chain.
The Ministry of National Defense has commissioned AIDC and its supply chain to design and manufacture 66 advanced jet trainers, with the first prototype scheduled to be completed in 2019 and flight tests expected to start in 2020.
The 66 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered by 2026 and are to replace the military’s AT-3 trainer aircraft and F-5 jets, which are more than 30 years old.
“The contract between AIDC and Martin-Baker facilitates cooperation opportunities and is a major milestone in the launch of AJT systems,” AIDC said in the statement.
“Both parties will work together, not only to achieve the goal of making the AJT program successful, but also to extend future collaboration in areas such as ejection seats, pilot personal equipment, parachutes” and other equipment, the firm said.
The firms did not disclose financial terms for the agreement.
Representative to the UK David Lin (林永樂), who witnessed the signing of the agreement, said Taiwan values exchanges between Taiwanese and British enterprises, and Martin-Baker’s support for the nation’s advanced jet trainer development is appreciated.
Through the agreement, Taiwan and the UK will strengthen cooperation in aviation development to create a safer environment, he said.
The agreement would further integrate AIDC’s supply chain, which would help it deliver the 66 trainers on schedule, Liao said.
“We also expect to provide a chance to foster talent in the aerospace industry and strengthen the links between industries in Taiwan, which can lend great support to the development of AJTs and next-generation fighters,” Liao said.
AIDC shares yesterday rose 2.3 percent to close at NT$37.75 in Taipei trading, outperforming the TAIEX, which ended up 0.26 percent.
Anna Bhobho, a 31-year-old housewife from rural Zimbabwe, was once a silent observer in her home, excluded from financial and family decisionmaking in the deeply patriarchal society. Today, she is a driver of change in her village, thanks to an electric tricycle she owns. In many parts of rural sub-Saharan Africa, women have long been excluded from mainstream economic activities such as operating public transportation. However, three-wheelers powered by green energy are reversing that trend, offering financial opportunities and a newfound sense of importance. “My husband now looks up to me to take care of a large chunk of expenses,
SECTOR LEADER: TSMC can increase capacity by as much as 20 percent or more in the advanced node part of the foundry market by 2030, an analyst said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to lead its peers in the advanced 2-nanometer process technology, despite competition from Samsung Electronics Co and Intel Corp, TrendForce Corp analyst Joanne Chiao (喬安) said. TSMC’s sophisticated products and its large production scale are expected to allow the company to continue dominating the global 2-nanometer process market this year, Chiao said. The world’s largest contract chipmaker is scheduled to begin mass production of chips made on the 2-nanometer process in its Hsinchu fab in the second half of this year. It would also hold a ceremony on Monday next week to
TECH CLUSTER: The US company’s new office is in the Shalun Smart Green Energy Science City, a new AI industry base and cybersecurity hub in southern Taiwan US chip designer Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) yesterday launched an office in Tainan’s Gueiren District (歸仁), marking a significant milestone in the development of southern Taiwan’s artificial intelligence (AI) industry, the Tainan City Government said in a statement. AMD Taiwan general manager Vincent Chern (陳民皓) presided over the opening ceremony for the company’s new office at the Shalun Smart Green Energy Science City (沙崙智慧綠能科學城), a new AI industry base and cybersecurity hub in southern Taiwan. Facilities in the new office include an information processing center, and a research and development (R&D) center, the Tainan Economic Development Bureau said. The Ministry
ADVERSARIES: The new list includes 11 entities in China and one in Taiwan, which is a local branch of Chinese cloud computing firm Inspur Group The US added dozens of entities to a trade blacklist on Tuesday, the US Department of Commerce said, in part to disrupt Beijing’s artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computing capabilities. The action affects 80 entities from countries including China, the United Arab Emirates and Iran, with the commerce department citing their “activities contrary to US national security and foreign policy.” Those added to the “entity list” are restricted from obtaining US items and technologies without government authorization. “We will not allow adversaries to exploit American technology to bolster their own militaries and threaten American lives,” US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said. The entities